Odyssey
by ThriLLer89
Summary: "I felt kind of helpless when it came to this stuff. I was growing up and there was nothing I could do about it. It was both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time."


**Can it be that I'm back ALREADY? Yep yep yep! This little ditty is something I've been working on periodically for the past few months. It's another high school fic, only they're younger than what I usually work with (15 going on 16), which I've noticed seems to be the trend lately! Haha. I thought about **_**not**_** posting this since a lot of people are working with the same age range, but I figure everyone has their own spin on things right? AAAAAND I've been working on the outline for this sucker for roughly 4 months! So it's about time I got the fanfiction ball rolling! haha**

**Anyway, I hope you all enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold.**

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_**Odyssey**_(n)_:__A long and eventful journey or experience._

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_****August****_

**Arnold's POV:**

"Ya know… this was a lot more exciting when we were younger." Gerald reclined against the oak tree we were currently sitting under, lazily taking a bite from his now empty ice cream cone. A look of displeasure found its way to his face. "This is nothing but a shell of empty promises and limp mushiness!" to emphasize his point he squashed the cone effortlessly between his fingers.

"Oh come on Gerald," I took a bite from my ice cream cone "It's… not… _that_…ba-" my optimistic smile faded "Okay, it's mushy and gross. You win." with what strength I could muster I swallowed the mouthful of mushy cone. "Who's idea was this anyway?"

"Uh, _yours_!" he took another bite of the mangled cone being held between his index finger and thumb, shuddering with each chew. "_Hey Gerald, lets go get cones and throw the football around at the park like we used to!_" his voice was nasally, high pitched and obviously attempting to mock me.

"Hey my voice doesn't sound like that!… well… not anymore." I chuckled, hoisting myself to my feet to throw the rest of my cone in the trash.

A group of kids rushed by me in a flurry of excitement, playfully shoving each other and laughing wildly. My gaze surveyed the park briefly and I let out a content sigh. There was something I really loved about the end of summer vacation. A certain nostalgia lingered in the air like the sound of the Jolly Olly mans ice cream truck jingle in the distance, or the smell of chlorine from the local pool. It all makes me wonder where my childhood seemed to have disappeared to. The irony is, I myself am still considered a child. I'm only fifteen years old but it feels like so much has occurred in such a small time frame. But I've noticed it's not only me_. A lot _has changed, particularly the past few years. We've developed these nasty things we all like to call hormones, girls have suddenly become _very_ interesting to all the boys, and this past summer I finally joined the rest of the guys in our group by suddenly shooting up several inches and my voice dropped a full octave. I felt kind of helpless when it came to this stuff. I was growing up and there was nothing I could do about it. It was both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. But no matter what changes go on around me I still have my friends. And _that_ was all that mattered to me.

"Do we still gotta throw the football around Arnold?" he skillfully twirled the ball on the tip of his finger. "There's a baseball game coming on in 45 minutes! We can still make it back to my place."

"You'd rather watch _TV_ than enjoy our last few days of summer vacation?" I tapped the bottom of his shoe with my foot. "Come on!"

With an exaggerated groan Gerald finally stood up and stretched his long arms over his head, "Okay. But I get to pick our next activity man!"

"Deal." our fists connected, thumbs wiggling. He tossed the ball in my hands as he took off several feet away. "Go long!" I waved him further until he was a good distance away. Using what miniscule new muscle mass I had acquired over the past few months I pulled my arm back and tossed the football towards Gerald. It went several feet over his head, forcing him to chase after it. "_Oops._"

"_Carson! Give it back would ya? C'mon!_" a familiar voice called out from a distance. From my peripheral vision I finally saw a flash of blonde hair. My head instantly turned towards it. _Helga Pataki_. I hadn't seen her since the beginning of summer vacation because she was going on a road trip with her parents. I wasn't expecting to see her back until the Sunday before school started. She was a few days early. "_Carson!_" she was playfully chasing after a guy around our age who was withholding something gold and shiny in his hands.

"_You've been ogling this thing all summer!_" the boy taunted, holding the object above his head and out of her reach. By then Helga was attempting to climb the boy, but they were both laughing at her failed attempts. Who _was_ this guy? And why have I never seen him before?

"_Hand it over you chucklehead!_" she sunk her teeth into his raised arm, and he finally lowered it to cradle the bite wound. After she frantically retrieved her lost article she turned away from him. She stuffed said item down the front of her shirt before our eyes met across the way. A slow grin spread across her face, as did mine. Her smile quickly turned to a look of panic, "ARNOLD! LOOK-"

"Wha-?" I looked to where she was frantically pointing only to have the football collide with my face. I let out a very girlish yelp before falling on to my back in the grass.

"Arnold!" her voice grew closer as did her frantic footsteps. "Jesus _Christ_ Arnoldo!" she dropped down on her knees and hovered over me.

Her hair fell over her shoulders, casting a shadow over my face and finally stirring a reaction out of me. "_Owie_." one of my hands absentmindedly reached to cup my forehead where the ball collided. I sat up on my elbow with the other arm.

"… _Owie_? Seriously Arnold, are you okay? Crimeny! I haven't seen you eat it that hard since you were nine-" she stopped mid-rant to study me. Without warning she took my chin in her hand and rubbed her fingers over the contours of my jawbone. "Is-….. Is that _stubble_ on your chin football head?"

"Uh huh…" I laughed. "I've been told it'd happen eventually."

She removed her hand and gasped "YOUR VOICE! What the _hell_ did I miss this summer?"

"Arnold! Dude, I'm sorry! I thought you were ready for me to throw." Gerald came jogging up to us. As he got closer he seemed to take note that Helga had a _guest_ with her. "Who's this?" he bluntly pointed at the guy with his thumb.

"Uh… I'm Carson." he offered a friendly wave to us. I sat up completely, still a little woozy from the impact. "Ahh…. So… _you're_ Arnold, eh?" his eyebrow quirked at me in amusement.

"Yes, I am." my eyes narrowed at him. "Why?"

"Don't even think about it Carson.." Helga growled. The two of them seemed to be having a conversation with their eyes. "I'm pretty sure Rick is looking for you by now Carson. You should go." her hand wrapped around my bicep and helped pull me to my feet. Her eyes widened when she realized I was several inches taller than her now.

"Oh geez Helga, you are _such_ a party pooper!" he reached out and playfully ruffled Helga's hair and pulled her into a brief hug before taking off down the path towards the exit. "See you next week!" he called over his shoulder.

"Well he seems like a _boatload_ of fun." Gerald deadpanned.

"He's not so bad once you get to know him." Helga chuckled. "Anyway, are you okay Arnoldo? It's kind of ironic you got beamed by a member of your own cranial family."

"I'm pretty sure I'll survive." my fingers brushed over the welt forming on my forehead, "Picture day is going to be humiliating though."

"Man, I'm sorry.." Gerald was obviously attempting to hold back his laughter.

Helga reached up to angle my head to get a better look at the welt, "By tomorrow morning I'm pretty sure you're going to look like a unicorn with that lump you got going."

Gerald glanced at his watch and frowned, "Now that I've damaged your face with that stupid football you insisted on throwing around can we _please_ go watch the game?" he brought his hands together and gave me a pleading look.

"I should be getting back home anyway. Bob was supposed to help me hang this fancy mirror I got in New Mexico. He seems to think I'll break my neck if I try doing it alone."

"Want me to walk you home?" I smile, jokingly offering her my arm.

"I don't know football head, I don't want Gerald to blow a gasket." we both glanced over at him. He was rubbing his temples and rolling his eyes at my '_annoying_ _chivalry'_, as he often called it.

"Just walk the girl home Arnold! We all know you'd call her as soon as we got back to my place to make sure she got home safe. Just come by after you're done being all…. _gentlemanly_." he pushed Helga and I together until her shoulder brushed against my arm. "Off you go kiddies! I have a baseball game to catch."

"See you Monday Geraldo." she saluted him.

"Come on." I held my arm out for her for real this time.

She set her hands on her hips and gave me a pointed look. "Always with the chivalry, eh football head?" my eyes followed the movement of her hands to her hips. It became very obvious I wasn't the only one who had… _changed_ over the summer. She had curves I had never seen on her before.

_Hormones, snap out of it!_

My gaze quickly shot up to meet her curious stare, "Always!" I walked over to her and linked my arm with hers.

I suppose you could say that my friendship with Helga is unconventional. When we were younger things were extremely complicated, mainly because Helga was my own personal bully. Over the years her abrasiveness has gradually tapered off, and what was left was a semi-normal teenage girl. When we were 13 was really when we became '_friends_'. Me and Helga got abandoned during a group outing with Gerald and Phoebe, and we found ourselves alone with each other at Dinoland. By the end of the evening we were having a _great_ time together just laughing and hanging out. Somehow it blossomed from there into a genuine friendship. We spent more time together and even hung out at school. I knew I could talk to Helga about pretty much _anything_. She really had become one of my best friends. I liked this new, calmer side of Helga. She wasn't always yelling or scowling but she was still being herself. She had finally blossomed into the girl I always knew she had hidden deep inside.

Another contributing and extremely helpful factor was Big Bob. After having a huge blowout with one of the delivery men for his company Bob was forced into sensitivity training, and he even willingly went to quite a few therapy sessions. When all was said and done he began making more of an effort to be in Helga's life. He drove her to school almost every morning, always made sure she had lunch money, he even orchestrated their family vacation over the summer. In all the years I've known Helga I've never seen her so at ease, so _happy_.

"Helga, can I… ask you something?"

"What is it?" she turned her head towards me as we walked down the sidewalk.

My mouth twisted to the side, contemplating how to ask without sounding ridiculous. "Are you and Carson… uh… Going out or something?" Her fingers tightened around my bicep and she stopped walking, halting me with her. "I-.. I'm sorry. That's none of my business. I shouldn't have-" my apology was cut short by her hysteric laughter.

"_Dude_! No no no no NO!" her hands grasped my shoulders and shook me. A look of confusion was still etched on my face. "The last time I checked it was frowned upon to date your _cousin_!" She wiped a stray tear from her eye, "Carson went on vacation with us while his parents watched over our house this summer. It was my uncle Rick's trade off with Bob. You failed to notice Carson is… well… let's just say his attitude _screams_ Pataki."

A sudden wave of relief washed over me, "Oh thank _god_!" her laughter subsided and her eyebrow raised in question. "I was afraid I was going to have to endure the whole 'playing nice' thing with him."

"Yeah, Carson is kind of abrasive. But _you_ of all people should know how to deal with a Pataki." she playfully poked my stomach. After her first initial poke she kept her hand there and poked it a few more times before splaying her fingers over my lower abdomen. "I must say puberty has _really_ blessed you football head."

I pushed her hand off of me with a chuckle. "Me and Gerald have been messing around with Jamie O's old equipment. Nothing serious.."

"Shoot, before you know it the ladies will be lining up Arnoldo. Chicks _dig_ muscles!" her hand cupped my chin "Now you just need a bitching goatee."

"I somehow doubt these few randomly placed hairs on my face will magically translate to a goatee."

"Whatever football head, just don't be surprised when I'm rubbing it in your face someday as the ladies fall at your feet." she playfully winked at me, continuing her way down the street without looking back to see if I would follow… she knew I would.

When we reached her stoop we both stood there awkwardly for several moments, neither one of us didn't really know what to say. Helga was the first one to break the silence, "Thanks for walking me home Arnold. I know you'd much rather be watching the game with Gerald."

"Nah, I don't mind. I was actually really excited to see you again-"

Helga took a step closer to me and wrapped her arms around my midsection, pressing the side of her face into my chest and hugging me tightly. "_I missed you this summer football head_"

My arms slowly wrapped around her shoulders and squeezed with the same vigor. "I missed you too." Helga and I have hugged several times in the past, we're friends, and friends often hug each other. But something in my mind was registering this hug as out of the norm. But what was it? I was a little taller than the last time we hugged, but _that_ wasn't odd…

She gave me another squeeze and sighed contently against me and I suddenly became _very_ aware of the difference since our last hug. Not only did Helga get _curves_ over the summer… she had acquired two _other_ curves that were currently pressed against me. A blush made its way to my cheeks and I suddenly felt very flustered. I grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled away like I had been burnt.

"What?" she looked around to see what caused me to pull away so panicked. "What happened?"

The temperature continued to rise in my face, "I… I felt…" my hand gestured vaguely towards her chest. Her gaze followed my gesturing. "T-those are… _new_."

"Wait… My boobs? You're freaking out over _boobs_ Arnoldo?" She stared down at her chest and seemed to be contemplating something. "Well _geez_… if my _scary boobs_ freak you out that much I won't hug you anymore."

"It was just surprising, that's all.."

"Whatever." she frowned. "I'll see you Monday Arnold."

"Helga!-" I grabbed her arm before she could leave. "I'm sorry… I guess I'm just a little skittish lately. I'm always freaking out over the smallest things! I don't know _what's_ wrong with me."

Something I said seemed to resonate with her, "You basically just described puberty in a nutshell football head. Yeah, we get irrational and insane… it's what happens when balls finally drop and ovaries go into hyper drive. Testosterone and estrogen are running rampant!"

My face reddened once again "Can we _not_ talk about what takes place in my… nether regions?"

"You prude." she playfully stuck her tongue out at me. "You're never gonna make it if you can't even handle hugging a girl with boobs!"

"I am _not_ a prude!" I reached around her waist, picking her up in another hug and making her hot pink high-top clad feet dangle several inches from the ground. "See?"

She casually placed her arms over my shoulders and constricted them loosely around my neck. "At least it's a step forward-" Before Helga could get another word out her front door burst open followed by a high pitched squeal. I set Helga back down and stepped away from her.

"BABY SISTER!" Helga visibly tensed and instantly caught my gaze. "Baby sister! We've been waiting for you for _hours_! Now get in here you silly girl! I've been anticipating seeing you all day!"

"_Olga.._" an animalistic growl escaped Helga's mouth.

"Arnold? Is that you? Oh my goodness! Look at you Mister Handsome, you're all grown up!" Olga came rushing outside and captured me in a bear hug.

"_Hi… Olga_…" my voice came out high and tight.

Helga reached between me and her sister and ripped me from her ridiculously tight hold. "Yeah we get it, Arnold is a real dreamboat. Now what are YOU doing here _Olga_? You've been gone for TWO stinkin' years!"

_Dreamboat?_

"Now now" Olga tapped the tip of Helga's nose "I'm saving _that_ for when we get inside! Come on in baby sister, Carl is excited to see you too!"

"You brought CARL too?" Helga brought her hands to her face and groaned.

Carl is Olga's boyfriend, going on three years now. If there's one person Helga can't stand more than Olga it would be Carl. From what I've come to understand Carl is a wealthy, handsome man from Boston who met Olga during some sort of teaching convention. Bob and Miriam _worship_ Carl in a godlike fashion. All in all he irritates Helga. '_no man is that perfect!_', she would always say. She never bought into the kind gestures he did for her family. There was something about him that rubbed Helga the wrong way, but luckily she had been Olga and Carl free for the past few years while the two of them went on some sort of mission in Africa to help get a school started for underprivileged children.

"He's so anxious to see you Helga!" Olga grabbed Helga by the arm and attempted to lead her towards the front door.

"HOLD YOUR HORSES, WOMAN! Crimeny.." this time _she_ shoved Olga towards the door. "Just let me say goodbye to Arnold."

"Fair enough, we'll see you inside Helga!" she wiggled her fingers at me as the door closed behind her.

Helga began pacing and grumbling under her breath. I reached out to stop her, "Are you going to be alright Helga?"

"The sooner that waling bimbo leaves, the better." her scowl was directed at the door.

I grabbed her chin and turned her head back towards me, "Call me if you need anything, okay?"

Her arms snaked around my waist again in a quick appreciative hug. "Let's just hope there isn't a homicide in the Pataki household this weekend."

"You'll be fine." I gave her a reassuring smile and nudged her towards her front door. She ascended the steps to her house with heavy and obnoxious footsteps, obviously dreading what was about to transpire. She looked at me over her shoulder once last time and smiled weakly before quietly closed the door behind herself.

During my walk back to Gerald's my mind was racing, so much had happened in a single afternoon. It only proved my point; everything is changing so quickly and I was powerless to stop it. A breeze rolled by and carried a seemingly familiar scent up to my nose. I made sure nobody was watching before lifting the collar of my shirt under my nose and taking a whiff. _Helga_… I smelled like HELGA? I held my shirt under my nose again for a longer period of time. After a moment I realized what I was doing and released my shirt with a grimace. "Get a hold of yourself Arnold!" I scolded, "It's _Helga_! Not some other random pretty girl… sure she smells like sunshine and flowers, but it's _not_ right to SNIFF her! She'd _kill_ me-"

"Why are you talking to yourself?" Gerald was watching me in amusement from his stoop. I felt a blush retuning to my cheeks under his scrutinizing gaze. "Whatever, it doesn't matter. You coming inside man? The game is only in the second inning!"

"Yeah…" I cleared my throat and followed him back into his house. We plopped down on his couch and Gerald got immersed back in the baseball game. I found myself subconsciously lifting my shirt back under my nose, but this time I didn't stop myself. There's no harm in _smelling_ someone's lingering scent on your clothes…

_Right_?

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**Ahh, okay so this may not be the longest first chapter (mine usually never are!) But I promise things will progress from here! To clarify, this story is basically going to be about the **_**journey **_**(aka 'Odyssey') Arnold goes through in the course of a school year, all the while having to deal with a gradual and unexplainable growing attraction towards one of his best friends, and having to deal with denial and all the implications that come with his feelings. And as for Helga it's about her struggle with her relationship with Arnold as well as her family and trying to keep the happiness in her life that she was growing accustomed to. **

**(I also realize Arnold and Helga are **_**very**_** 'chummy' in my story… keep in mind they've spent **_**years**_** growing closer)**

**Also for those of you who have been through puberty, you can understand the insanity and chaos! Since I am not a male I admit it's a little hard for me to portray Arnold's exact emotions properly. But hey, teenage boys are crazy perverts… it shouldn't be THAT difficult for me. Hehehe..**

**Aaaaaand yes, Olga IS around for a reason… and you'll find out in chapter 2! (which is already written in note-form!)**

**You know me… I'll be back eventually. Lol But until then I'd love to hear your thoughts so far! **


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